Hat with hidden storage compartments

ABSTRACT

An interior surface storage structure for headgear is provided. The structure comprises a headgear, a plurality of contiguous panels disposed in a circular manner around an interior surface of the headgear, each panel separated from its immediately adjacent panel. The structure also comprises at least one pair of contiguous panels covered by fabric at panel edges to form a compartment, a panel edge along a circumference edge of the headgear open and providing access to the compartment. The structure also comprises a binding mechanism positioned at the panel edge along the circumference edge enabling compartment sealing, the binding mechanism concealed by a headband. The headgear alternatively does not have panels on the interior surface and the pocket enclosure is attached to the interior surface and to the circumference edge with binding mechanism concealed. Up to four pocket enclosures are installable on either side and in various configurations of the quadrants.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure is in the field of headgear. More particularly, the present disclosure teaches systems and methods of placing a compartment on an inside surface of a hat with an opening below a headband, making detection of the compartment difficult.

BACKGROUND

Hats, caps, and other headgear are used for a variety of reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons, such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. A primary use of headgear is to shade the face and shoulders from the sun, protect against sun and rain and keep the head and ears warm. Some hats are worn for ornamental purposes and to communicate rank or position. Hats may also be used for storage of personal items with storage in a visor of a hat or attached to an exterior area of the hat.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a hat with hidden storage compartments in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of a hat with hidden storage compartments in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a hat with hidden storage compartments in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a hat with hidden storage compartments in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of a hat with hidden storage compartments in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a diagram of a hat with hidden storage compartments in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Systems and methods described herein provide for at least one compartment unobtrusively attached to an inside surface of a headgear comprising a hat or cap. An opening for the compartment with zipper or other closing device is concealed below a headband surrounding the circumference edge of the headgear. The presence of the compartment in the headgear may therefore be difficult to detect, providing security for the user's valuables or other belongings held in the compartment.

In a typical cap, for example a baseball cap shown in FIG. 1, the interior surface is segmented into six triangular panels of approximately equal size, with three on each side of the user's head. The present disclosure provides for each compartment to cover two contiguous panels such that a credit card or driver license may be stored.

Compartments as provided herein do not overlap each other and are situated on only one side or the other, i.e. they are not partially on one side and the other at the same time. Therefore, one compartment per side of a baseball-type cap is provided for with a total of two compartments therefore provided for herein.

A user's valuables may be organized within one or two hidden compartments. There can be one pocket within the hat in any of the four located compartment areas or “zones” shown in FIG. 2. The four zones in FIG. 2 comprise the front two pairs of triangular panels on either side of the hat, each pair demarked by heavy dotted lines, and the rear two pairs of triangular panels on either side of the hat, each pair demarked by solid lines. On each side of the hat the front and rear zones overlap at the center panel such that a compartment on each side can only be in the front zone or rear zone as each compartment consumes a zone or two of the panels.

There can be one or two compartments in any variation per hat as seen in FIG. 2 although compartments, as noted, do not overlap. The compartment material can be made of any fabric, whether it is completely opaque, mesh, or transparent.

The compartment need not be of any a specific dimension or shape. When two compartments are in effect, they need not be of equal size or equal in other respects. For instance, one compartment may have a zipper enclosure and the other compartment may have a button enclosure. The compartments need only occupy one of the four zones in FIG. 2. The height and width of the hidden pocket can be any dimension although in a preferred embodiment each compartment would cover two of the contiguous panels as shown in the zones of FIG. 2. The width of the hidden pocket can be altered, so long as it sits within one or two of the hidden compartment locations listed in FIG. 2. Seams between panels may be visible or may be concealed.

The pockets are hidden in plain sight, as there is the concealed opening underneath the headband of the hat for each pocket, whether it be one or two pockets within the hat, right or left hand side in any variation of the pocket compartment areas depicted in FIG. 2. The pocket of each compartment is limited to the seam of that compartment, regardless of pocket size, and does not flow into any other compartment's pocket (whether or not there is more than one pocket compartment per hat).

The hidden pocket opening can be secured with a zipper or any other type of closing mechanism, whether it be VELCRO, buttons, snaps, or clasps to ensure that valuables are safely held within the pocket. It may also not be secured with a closing mechanism and the opening may just be a pocket with no securement closure. It may also be unsecured without a closing mechanism and/or have a piece of securement netting or any extra fabric that overlaps the pocket to keep valuables in place. The enclosure mechanism underneath the headband can start any point of the pocket vertically or horizontally, in any length or capacity, so long as the enclosure is hidden behind the flipped-up headband. The headband may also be referred to in embodiments as a sweatband and the two designations may be used interchangeably.

FIG. 3 illustrates zippers around the headband area of the hat to seal and secure compartments as described herein. In FIG. 3, the separate zippers seal separate compartments, one compartment situated at the rear left zone and the other compartment situated at the rear right zone of the hat. The two zippers would be concealed below the headband of the hat which folds in and over the zippers after they have been closed. With thumb and index finger the user can pull the headband down, open the zipper(s) for one or both of the compartments, insert items, close the zipper(s), and fold the headband back into place. FIG. 4 depicts the two compartments shown in FIG. 3 in open position, before their respective zippers are pulled closed and the headband folded into place. FIG. 5 depicts one of the zippers from FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 partially obscured by the headband.

FIG. 6 is an illustration of a bucket hat. In embodiments, a baseball-type cap need not be used. Any one of one, two, three, and four compartments on any side and any configuration of the four quadrants may be possible in this embodiment.

There are still four quadrants for the bucket hat and other non-baseball caps. However, with the bucket hat there are not limitations of having to utilize the full quadrant for the compartment. There will still be up to four compartment quadrants for the bucket hat and other non-baseball caps. The quadrant compartment size minimum would be a credit card width but can also be the full quadrant (which would be larger than the credit card width). With the bucket hat and other non-baseball caps, there are not limitations as to the number of compartments or their sizes.

The hat provided herein may be used for security and identification items; cash, cards, documents, licenses, keys, paper items, and other small objects that fit within the dimensions of each hidden pocket. A traveler may want to store valuables and personal items through any mode of transportation, such as airplanes, boats, cars, bicycles. A user may conduct a physical activity such as walking, running, working out, going to the gym. An everyday user may go to the store, school, work, medical visits, among other everyday activities.

A user may wish to attend a festival or concert. For leisure activities, the hat may be appropriate for activities such as going to the beach, the pool, fishing, staying at a hotel, hiking, horseback riding, dancing, cooking, birdwatching, gardening, and other leisurely activities. A user can apply various applications based on their lifestyle, physical activities, and can store whatever they may find valuable for that event. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An interior surface storage structure for headgear, comprising: a headgear; a plurality of contiguous panels disposed in a circular manner around an interior surface of the headgear, each panel separated from its immediately adjacent panel by seams; at least one pair of contiguous panels covered by fabric at panel edges to form a compartment, a panel edge along a circumference edge of the headgear open and providing access to the compartment; and a binding mechanism positioned at the panel edge along the circumference edge enabling sealing of the compartment.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the panels are triangular in shape
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein vertices of the triangular panels meet at a center point of the interior surface and wherein edges of each triangle opposite corresponding vertex are positioned along the circumference edge of the headgear.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the binding mechanism is one of a zipper, a velcro device, at least one button, and at least one snap.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the panel edges sealable by the binding mechanism are concealed below a headband attached to the circumference edge of the headgear.
 6. The system of claim 1, where only a single compartment is created.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein when two compartments are created, the two compartments are on separate sides of the headgear.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein compartments are alternatively not associated with triangular panels on the interior surface of the headgear and are instead attached directly to the interior surface and to the circumference edge with binding mechanism concealed by headband.
 9. A system for concealing objects in headgear, comprising: a plurality of triangular fabric panels arranged contiguously in a circular manner on an inside surface of a headgear; two contiguous panels with fabric coverings forming a pocket enclosure, the pocket enclosure open and sealable at a lower edge along a circumference of the headgear; and a binding mechanism positioned at the sealable edge along the circumference.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the binding mechanism is one of a zipper, a velcro device, at least one button, and at least one snap.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the sealable edge and binding mechanism are concealed behind a headband positioned along the circumference.
 12. The system of claim 9, wherein the system supports two pocket enclosures, one each per side of the headgear.
 13. The system of claim 12, where a pocket enclosure is positioned one of at a front area and a rear area of one of a right side and left side of the headgear.
 14. The system of claim 9, wherein the headgear alternatively does not have panels on the interior surface and the pocket enclosure is instead attached directly to the interior surface and to the circumference edge with binding mechanism concealed by the headband and where pocket enclosures are installable on either side and in various configurations of four quadrants of the headgear.
 15. The system of claim 14 wherein pocket enclosures are not restricted to aligning to a size of a quadrant, occupy a smaller area than that of a quadrant, and are not limited to being of a specific shape.
 16. A system for containing objects in an interior area of a headgear, comprising: two non-overlapping flat pocket structures disposed on an interior surface of a headgear, each flat pocket structure comprising two contiguous triangular panels with fabric covers, the headgear comprising six total panels, binding mechanisms closing each of the pocket structures at outer edges of the interior surface; and a headband attached at the outer edges and to the bottom circumference of the headgear.
 17. The system of claim 15, wherein the binding mechanisms are concealed beneath the headband.
 18. The system of claim 15, wherein the two pocket structures are on separate sides of the headgear.
 19. The system of claim 15, wherein the headgear alternatively does not have panels on the interior surface and the pocket enclosure is instead attached directly to the interior surface and to an edge of a circumference of the headgear with binding mechanism concealed by the headband.
 20. The system of claim 15, wherein the system does not include the binding mechanisms and the pocket structures are unsealed. 